December 2024 - If Not Now, When?

I know you are all familiar with this phrase from Pirkei Avot, The Ethics of the Fathers. To me it seems to be a wake-up call to get moving, because the time is now. 
 
A few months ago I wrote about a scarf-making project I heard about here in Pittsburgh, in which a woman puts winter scarves out in the city for the homeless. There is a tag on each one inviting people to take a scarf to keep them warm in the winter. People send her their knitted or crocheted scarves from all over the country, and she has so far distributed thousands of them. I was inspired by this Tikun Olam project at about the same time I learned about finger-knitting (no crochet hooks or knitting needles), and it has been an undertaking which I have embraced. It’s a win-win, a hobby I am enjoying and a wonderful social action endeavor.
 
This coming Sunday, December 8 at 10AM at the synagogue, I am giving a workshop teaching a bit about “scarf bombing”, as she calls it, and how I make these scarves. You can finish one in a few hours. See the flyer in the E-News for the kind of loop yarn you will need (Joann Fabrics carries it), and other information.  You may just get as excited about it as I have! It’s also a great gift idea for the upcoming holidays.
 
If you are interested, buy one large skein of loop yarn (there are lots of pretty colors) and please let the office know, as class size is limited. And if Sunday does not work for you, I’m happy to meet at a better time. Let’s spread kindness around, one toasty warm winter scarf at a time!
 
B’shalom,
Cantor Rena